The ruling on Monday (November 12) for Qatada to be released under bail conditions, including a 16-hour curfew at his London home, was a blow to the Conservative-led Government that says he is a huge security risk.

The special court that deals with security cases that handed down the decision said British interior minister Theresa May had been wrong not to revoke an earlier deportation ruling against Qatada, and allowed his appeal.

A Jordanian of Palestinian origin, described by a Spanish judge as "Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe", he has been a thorn in the side of successive British governments.

Qatada has been in and out of jail in Britain for seven years without charge since his arrest in 2002.

The government had argued that a 2005 deal with Jordan and more recent diplomatic assurances would ensure that Qatada would obtain a fair trial there.